First Look at Bradley's Fine Diner

For starters, the bone marrow toast was a winner. It arrived on a plain white plate -- several small slabs of toast smeared with rich bone marrow, reminding me of a simple toast with butter but way more decadent. I sort of missed seeing the big bone that the marrow comes in, but I appreciated the fact that someone else had done all the work so that I could just enjoy.

That's where the "fine" part of Bradley's Fine Diner comes into play. While the ambience is informal, the food and service are not. A split pea soup arrives in a bowl with the solids in the bottom, and is finished off with a pour of liquid right at the table. What could have been a plain ol' slider rocketed into the realm of luxury when fluffy, just-crisped buns arrived stuffed -- not with meat but with a quail egg and and a generous helping of caviar.

Photo by Mai Pham

The scallops were big, seared perfectly and delicious.

For our entrées, Maine diver scallops were about as perfect as they could get, each one seared so that the tops were a caramelized brown. Small pillows of lemon gnocchi and wilted spinach in a creamy sauce with bacon chunks completed the dish, which I thoroughly enjoyed. An oak-grilled center-cut prime wagyu rib eye, arranged in a fan of pink-centered medium rare slices over baby carrots, broccolini and a potato, was also very good. The bone marrow red wine sauce was a nice touch, and though I found the dish slightly underseasoned, it washed down well with my glass of Cabernet Franc, one of my favorite grape varietals at the moment.

We skipped dessert but had a wholly memorable evening, so much so that my companion returned the very next day with friends -- which, at the the end of the day, is all that a new restaurant can ask for.